Curriculum vitae
Nada SALMAN
Robotics Engineer · PhD
I hold a PhD in medical robotics, specializing in the development of adaptive upper-limb exoskeletons for children with neuromuscular disorders. During my doctoral research, I led the prototyping and experimental validation of several robotic platforms, covering everything from mechanical design and actuator integration to the development of control architectures and testing with over 20 healthy participants. I have developed solid expertise in robotic modeling and control, embedded systems, human-robot interaction, and user-in-the-loop experimentation. These experiences have fostered a high degree of autonomy, strong analytical skills, and a pragmatic approach tailored to the constraints of real-world robotic systems.
Experience
- Oct 2022 — May 2026
PhD Researcher in Robotics
Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes de Versailles (LISV) — Université Paris-Saclay · Vélizy-Villacoublay, France
Design and development of an active upper-limb exoskeleton for elbow motion assistance and load compensation during activities of daily living.
- Mechatronic architecture design (AK80-8 motor, MD80 controller, ROS2)
- Distributed ROS2 software architecture (C++ and Python nodes, Raspberry Pi)
- Real-time EMG and force sensor integration in the control loop
- EMG-based fuzzy-logic load estimator for automatic assistance adaptation
- Mechanical redesign: multiple exoskeleton generations, SolidWorks CAD, 3D printing
- Experimental validation on healthy participants
- 5 IEEE peer-reviewed publications
- Jan 2025 — Dec 2025
Lecturer (Enseignante)
ESILV — École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs Léonard de Vinci · Puteaux, France
- HMI & Sensory Engineering module (30 h): human factors, haptics, medical robotics, EMG-based control
- Machine Learning module (30 h): supervised/unsupervised learning, feature engineering, project supervision
- Sep 2023 — Jun 2025
Teaching Assistant
Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) · Versailles, France
- MATLAB & Numerical Methods — Master MATEC (25 h): programming, ODE solvers, Simulink
- General Physics Lab PH100 (128 h): mechanics, geometric optics, experimental methodology
- Feb 2022 — Sep 2022
Research Intern (Master project)
ICube Laboratory — Université de Strasbourg · Strasbourg, France
Developed an adaptive EMG-based control strategy for a haptic rehabilitation interface.
- Real-time multi-channel EMG acquisition and processing (Butterworth, MVC normalisation)
- CuSum event-detection algorithm for muscle activity onset
- Impedance controller implementation under ROS / EtherCAT / Maxon EPOS4
- Experimental user study with healthy participants
- Sep 2020 — Jul 2021
Science Mentor — 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures & Junior Academy
New York Academy of Sciences · Remote (New York, USA)
- 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures programme — mentored young girls to pursue careers in STEM, providing guidance on academic and professional pathways
- Junior Academy — mentored international students on the 'Future of Telemedicine' challenge, supporting interdisciplinary project development and scientific communication
Education
- Oct 2022 — May 2026
PhD, Robotics
Université Paris-Saclay · France
- Thesis: Active upper-limb exoskeleton for motion assistance and gravity compensation
- Lab: Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes de Versailles (LISV)
- 5 peer-reviewed IEEE publications
- Sep 2021 — Sep 2022
Master (M2), Sciences, Technologies and Health — Medical Robotics track
Université de Strasbourg · France
- Specialisation in medical robotics and human-robot interaction
- Master project: Adaptive EMG-based control of a haptic interface (ICube lab)
- Oct 2017 — Aug 2021
Engineering Degree (equivalent M.Eng), Mechatronics Engineering
Université de Lattaquié · Syria
- 5-year integrated programme in mechanical, electrical and software engineering
Skills
Programming
Robotics & Control
Modelling & Simulation
Embedded Systems
Sensors & Actuators
AI & Data Analysis
CAD & Prototyping
Languages
Arabic Native speaker
French Professional — daily working language (PhD, teaching, publications)
English Professional — scientific publications and international conferences
Interests
Robotics & Control
Embedded & Real-Time Systems
Human-Robot Interaction
Publications
- ICAISET2026
Beyond Benchmark Accuracy: Toward Clinically Trustworthy AI for Biomedical Signals
2026 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Systems Engineering and Technology (ICAISET) · 2026
- CSNT2026
HITL-Adaptive AI for Safe and Personalized Upper-Limb Rehabilitation
2026 International Conference on Communication Systems and Network Technologies (CSNT) · 2026
- ICARA2026
Real-Time Neuro-Motor Index Modulation for Adaptive Admittance Control in Upper-Limb Exoskeletons
2026 7th International Conference on Automation, Robotics and Applications (ICARA) · 2026
- RO-MAN2024
Adaptive Weight Compensation in Assistive Upper-Limb Exoskeletons: an EMG Analysis
2024 33rd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) · 2024
- ICASSDA2018
Two Proposed Indoor Multi-Cameras Positioning Systems Compared to Classical Geometry System
2018 International Conference on Advances in Signal, Speech and Data Analysis (ICASSDA) · 2018